The National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants outlines the performance criteria that eligible coastal or Great Lakes state, tribal, or local governments must meet to receive grants to implement coastal recreation water monitoring and public notification programs under the BEACH Act. The Beach Guidance also provides useful guidance for both coastal and inland beach monitoring and notification programs. The BEACH Act, however, authorizes the award of grant funds to support monitoring and notification programs for coastal recreation waters only.

Revised Guidance Document (2014)

EPA has updated the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (Beach Guidance). The 2014 edition of this guidance aims to get safer standards in place for recreational waters and pave the way for improved beach monitoring and public notification of beach advisories or closures. The grant requirements in this 2014 Beach Guidance document will be incorporated in beach grants awarded to states and tribes henceforth, and supersede those grant requirements in our previously issued 2002 document.

• Complete document: National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (PDF) (116 pp, 2 MB)
• Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 74 K) (July 2014)
• Public Comments (PDF) (146 pp, 5 MB) (June 2014)
  • State of Connecticut Public Comments
  • EPA response to Comments (PDF) (62 pp, 600 K)

Guidance Document (2002)

• Federal Register Notice (July 19, 2002)
• Complete document: National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (PDF) (178 pp, 1 MB)